I'm so predictable... However lovely, it's still a rut

Mel is home from BYU for the summer. No pics. Suzie had a great soccer season. No pics. (Well, nothing to show off - but see below...)Tim and I quietly celebrated 35 years of marriage. No pics. Lots of pictures of sunsets. I am so predictable, so I guess it's a rut... Nevertheless, I do have some silly and some pleasant images to share on this family photo album disguised as a blog. See what you think...

Suzie reacting to the goal point that lost them the championship. She rocked all season, but in the end was defeated by an opposing goalie who got to the ball a nano-second before her, every time; and a defender on the other team who was probably instructed, "Don't let Suzie Cox get that ball!" By the way, the winning team was also Century, so it's slightly okay. Go CHS!

Does this NEED any explanation?? (It's the exterior shell of two lightbulbs he's playing with, in case you were curious.)

This is Suzie's serious soccer walk. Just thought you'd want to see it (Since I have no awesome action shots. Woe is me).

It's so hard to catch the true, rich color and stunning clarity of a sunset. Sigh. Still, I will share some more because - well, because I want to...

And, last but far from least, here are some smiles/smile makers from the most recent AZ trip:

Don't they make it all worth it? Indubitably. Sorry it's not everyone. I always want equal coverage but seldom achieve it. Life is like that. Thanks for visiting!

Seriously...

I'm even scaring ME. When I see that I haven't even loaded any photographs since my last post, I know this blog is in danger of extinction. And thus my family record. I blame it on advancing technology, and I am most definitely tech-handicapped. Pictures are taken on phones, everyone loads to Fb, my good-quality camera is too bulky to enjoy taking it to most things (and not good-quality enough for some family member's standards), so I fail to record the vital moments of life. I'm whining. Or making excuses. I will post soon. As soon as I take a few more pictures, and catch my breath from the end of Seminary and a busy gymnastics teaching schedule (both done for now). And plant the garden. And rid the yard of dandelions and thistle... Okay, maybe I better not wait THAT long.

Just don't say anything...

So, Mel was tired of my sunset picture. How 'bout a sunrise, then? ;-)
I have so many fun pictures from our Christmas together in AZ, I'm really struggling to choose just a few. Loading the photos on my camera since then showed me I am really neglecting the pictorial side of life. I'll figure out what to do while I verbally update...
The fact is, life has changed since my last post: I'm now the Early Morning Seminary Teacher for the Bismarck youth; and while I always appreciated those teachers and what they did, I didn't think too much about it because all I ever did was drop in to speak, or substitute (a little more eye-opening, but still not enough to show me how different it is from Institute). But now that the role is mine, I realize how consuming it can be. I am not a super-efficiency expert like Cindy Harding or Madeline Free/Habib (past teachers of our kids), and I'm not a quick-prepare pro like Nate or Glenn (who've also taught E.M. Seminary recently). So I spend A LOT of time at it. And I kept my Primary calling by choice (chorister - so much fun, but also a lot of work), so the only reason I finally made it to the blog zone at all is a four-day weekend with nowhere to go - realistically, that is. And now that I finished the first season of my new, cursed addiction, the series on HuluPlus called "Lost" (blame Alisa, but talk to me personally for an explanation of why I'm so hooked), I have no more excuses and only guilt. So here goes...
















Some of the boys...














Some of the girls...











Some groupy shots...






And some that are just too sweet to pass up.







































And as for the time since Christmas...




...Peculiarities abound.
(Okay, this group needs SOME explanation: in spite of this mild winter we're having, a little hoarfrost brings out the hidden "wonders" that might have stayed invisible until the next round of spiders had to be wiped away. Suzie was breaking in some fancy dance shoes. Don't ask any more questions - you'll get THE LOOK too. I've never seen a two-yolk egg. Now I have, and so have you. And, Suzie finds interesting ways to keep her feet warm when she didn't bother to wear socks on the trampoline.)
Sorry the post is so elongated - as in, one pic at a time. That's not how I laid it out, but tech is not my forte... Anyway, hope it was worth your time! See you later. I make no promises about how MUCH later... I still have to prepare Seminary until May, y'know...